ion tail
Astronomy
noun
A cometary tail composed of ionized gases, typically forming a straight bluish tail pointing directly away from the sun; (more generally) a narrow stream of ions following the orbital trajectory of a planet or other body.
- Also called gas tail, plasma tail, type I tail; compare dust tail.Ion tails only occur within a certain radius from the sun (c.300 million km); beyond this, the ionizing effects of solar radiation are too weak..
Origin
1950s.